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The Lion and the Unicorn
"The Lion and the Unicorn" is the series finale of . It originally aired on September 15, 1995. Plot It's just another day in the Batcave: Bruce Wayne is hard at work on the Batcomputer, Dick Grayson is practicing a gymnastic routine, and Alfred is fussing over both of them. This comfortable routine is interrupted when, upstairs in the Manor, Alfred receives an unexpected phone call from England: his "cousin," Frederick, who needs Alfred's help, immediately. The next morning, Dick wakes and is surprised to see Alfred gone, having left a quick note of apology. In London, Alfred is met at the airport by a pair of thugs. They claim that Frederick has sent them, but Alfred sees through them and fights them off. He manages to outrun them. As he makes a call to Gotham City to tell Bruce that he's in trouble, more thugs break in and capture him. Frederick has also been taken, and they are both introduced to their captor: Red Claw. Bruce fills his astonished partner in on Alfred's background: before entering service with the Waynes, Alfred was a highly trained agent of the British government, expert at resolving diplomatic and military crises. Bruce also realizes that "cousin", is also espionage parlance for a fellow agent, and reasons that, whatever trouble Alfred is in, it is a cause for concern. As Batman and Robin, they fly to London. Then, in their civilian guises, they search his hotel room. As they leave, two men watching the hotel begin to tail them. They get the drop on their pursuers as Batman and Robin and identify them as Red Claw's men. They soon drop in on a conference with three shadowy government ministers. Having learned of Frederick and Alfred's disappearance, the ministers know that the common point of their careers is a castle located on a remote Scottish island, with a concealed nuclear ballistic missile. It was intended as a weapon of last resort, and Alfred and Frederick are the only men alive who know the two-part launch code. Red Claw has already taken the two men to the castle, and injected them with a truth serum. After some resistance, Frederick breaks down and gives his part of the code. Alfred resists longer, mumbling what sounds like nonsense phrases. Nevertheless, Red Claw sends a message to London, threatening to plant the missile in the middle of London unless she is paid an enormous ransom. Batman and Robin infiltrate the castle and fight their way through Red Claw's thugs to the upper levels. Just before they reach the control room, Red Claw realizes that one of Alfred's mumbled phrases is the code, and initiates the launch. Batman leaves Robin behind to free Alfred and Frederick and deal with the remaining thugs, while Batman jumps into the Batwing and flies after the missile. Aboard the Batwing, Batman is about to fire a pair of missiles, but Red Claw grabs him from the rear seat, having sneaked about the plane. They struggle, and Batman is running out of time. He hits the eject button, sending Red Claw shooting out of the cockpit to land in the ocean. With seconds to spare, Batman locks on to the missile and fires, destroying it before impact. A crisis averted, everyone prepares to go home. Frederick tells Alfred that London would be thrilled to have him back, but Alfred says he's most needed at Wayne Manor. Background information Home video releases * * Batman: The Complete Animated Series (DVD) Production inconsistencies * Peter Morwood is credited as "Philip Morwood". * In the credits, Roy Dotrice's name is misspelled "Doctrice". * When Alfred tells Bruce he is in London, Bruce asks, "London, England?", to which Alfred replies, "There is only one". Though this may simply be a mistake on Alfred's part, there are actually several Londons throughout the United States, and one in Ontario, Canada. * Blairquhan Castle is an actual castle in Scotland. However, contrary to its portrayal in this episode, it's not on Scotland's west coast or on an outlying rock, but further inland. Trivia * The Lion and the Unicorn are the supporters of the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. It is an analogue for Great Britain that has been used in a nursery rhyme; Alfred's part of the code is the first two lines of the song. * Struggling against the truth serum, Alfred quotes the opening lines of The Brook and later on The Charge of the Light Brigade both by his namesake, Alfred Tennyson. * While struggling with Batman from the seat behind his, Red Claw tears off his cowl. It is never made clear whether she gets a good look at his face before he ejects her. * This is the second time Alfred has been menaced by one of Batman's rogues for reasons having nothing to do with him being Batman; the first was in "Eternal Youth", when Poison Ivy sought revenge on Bruce Wayne for an environmental crime almost committed by a greedy Wayne Enterprises director (without Bruce's approval). Mr. Freeze likewise attacked Alfred in , "Cold Comfort", because of his emotional importance to Bruce. * Alfred refers to the smashed piece of furniture as a "Louis Quinze" (quinze being French for the number fifteen), indicating it was made in the period of design associated with King Louis XV of France. * Batman repeated the attempt to shoot down a nuclear missile in the episode, "The Doomsday Sanction". Cast Uncredited appearances * Dennis * M1 Quotes External links * Episode review on World's Finest Online Category:A to Z Lion and the Unicorn, The